Chapter 12 – The New Student
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was frantic after Filch's declaration. Some teacher's including, Professor McGonagall, had rushed off with Filch to deal with the situation whilst a few of the teachers stayed behind to calm down the students, some of whom were now hysterical and some even sobbing. Eventually all students were ordered to their common rooms and lessons were suspended for the morning.
"Potter, Professor McGonagall wants to see you in her office immediately," Henry the Gryffindor prefect announced nearly an hour later as James sat in the common room with his friends trying to do anything to take his mind off the terrible tragedy.
As James walked with Henry to the headmistress' office all he could think about was that one of the last things he had said to Professor Longbottom was to call him 'pathetic'. He regretted saying those words last night, now he regretted them more than anything else in the world.
James went up the staircase to the office alone and was met by Professor McGonagall who looked rather haggard sat behind her desk. Also in the office were professors Sinistra and Payne who were seated on the opposite side of the desk and the latter gave James a rather venomous look as he walked in.
"Take a seat Potter," McGonagall said, gesturing to the empty chair.
James sat down in silence.
"Well no doubt even if you weren't in the hall this morning you would have heard what has been transpiring. Though I'm pleased to say that Filch certainly would never get a job as a Healer in St Mungos as Professor Longbottom is in fact not dead."
James breathed out a sigh of relief.
"He is however in a very serious coma. And I have been led to believe that you had a detention with him last night so were probably the last person to see him before this unfortunate incident. Is there anything you can tell me Mr Potter?"
"Like what?" James said, still taking in the good news that Longbottom was still alive.
"Did you notice anything strange? How was the professor? Did he mention feeling unwell at all?"
All James could think about was the argument he had had with Professor Longbottom before he left the detention.
"No Miss," Potter responded. "I left the greenhouses just before eleven o'clock. He seemed fine and didn't mention being ill. I didn't see anyone else about."
"Very well Mr Potter," McGonagall responded and seemed like she was about to dismiss him, which James was grateful for as he didn't fancy having an interrogation by her and certainly not by Professor Payne when in walked Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn.
Slughorn gave a jolly smile at seeing Harry as if nothing serious had been going on at all.
"Professor McGonagall we seem to have figured out what is wrong with Longbottom," Madam Pomfrey said as she approached the desk.
"Yes seems that he was bitten by a Sanguis Venenum, more commonly known as Blood Bane," Professor Slughorn announced, stepping in front of Madam Pomfrey who looked rather annoyed as she had been the one to make the diagnoses. "Rather nasty plant. Managed to find it hiding at the back of greenhouse three. I've sealed the greenhouse now so no one can get it till we have chance to dispose of it."
"Blood Bane?" Professor McGonagall said sounding confused. "What was Neville doing growing that? It's certainly not on the curriculum, it's too dangerous."
"I believe I am to blame Professor," Payne said rather dramatically like he was in floods of remorse. "I had casually mentioned to Longbottom one day about the properties of its sap in warding off Harpies and how rare it was and how a sample of it would be useful in showing my fourth years when he said he was only too happy to grow some for me. I told him it was far too dangerous but he insisted and I have only heard good things about his Herbology skills and he assured me that he would take every precaution necessary. To think that my innocent conversation with him and his desire to help the students learn could have led to this tragedy… I'm devastated."
"You weren't to have known Algernon, it was Neville's choice to grow that plant. Don't blame yourself," McGonagall replied sounding sympathetic.
James was finding Professor Payne rather less sincere.
"What can be done for him Poppy?" McGonagall asked, turning back to Madam Pomfrey.
"I have given him the antidote now but unfortunately it was quite a long time between him being bitten and it being administered. There may be some temporary side effects from the bite but we won't know until he wakes, which should be in a day or two. Though he should eventually make a full recovery."
James was finally dismissed from the office and when he returned to the Gryffindor common room news that Professor Longbottom was in fact still alive had already reached everyone else and the mood was decidedly more upbeat than when he had left. Though James made his way up to his dormitory where he could be alone and thoughts came rushing back to him about his nightmare last night. He remembered the plant that had attacked him and the coincidence that Professor Longbottom had been attacked by a plant himself. And he thought back to how he had dreamt about statues fighting in the Great Hall the night before Polly had been attacked by one and the dream about being chased through the vegetable patch by a scarecrow the very night Burns' vegetable patch had been attacked. It was all too much of a coincidence for James' liking. Something very strange was going on.
A couple of days later the students were informed at their evening dinner that Professor Longbottom had woken from his coma. He was in an otherwise good condition except most of his memory had completely gone. Madam Pomfrey was confident it would return eventually but for now Longbottom was under the impression he was an eleven year old boy again. Though some students thought this was hilarious others were worried for him.
Professor McGonagall announced that a temporary Herbology teacher would be arriving shortly to take over his lessons and that it had been decided that the best treatment for Professor Longbottom to aid the recovery of his memory was for his belief that he was still a student to be indulged and he would begin attending classes as if he was still an eleven year old boy.
Part of James was relieved that Longbottom had no memory of the argument that they had had on Bonfire night but he also felt sorry for his teacher, especially when Professor McGonagall brought him into their Charms class and announced him as a new student.
"I'm sure you will all make him feel comfortable and welcome," she said as a rather nervous looking Longbottom went to take a seat.
All students had been ordered to make him feel comfortable and welcome or face the threat of detention and no one was to mention the fact to him that he was actually a teacher and was thirty-five years old. Though how Neville didn't seem to realise anything was amiss was an astonishment to most students due to the fact he was a good foot taller than everyone else in his year and often sported stubble. (Convincing an eleven year old that they needed to shave had been problematic for the other teachers who in the end resorted to regularly using a Shaving charm on him to sort out the problem).
Neville took an empty seat next to James as there was often an empty seat next to him these days as some students still feared he might set a statue on them or try to set them alight.
"Hello Harry," Neville said cheerfully as he started getting his things out.
"I'm not Harry Profess… I mean Neville. I'm James."
"Oh right. Sorry. You look a lot like my friend," Neville said looking embarrassed and going slightly red.
Professor Flitwick set them the task of learning an Unlocking charm and James was slightly pleased to see Neville was just as bad at Charms as he was. So at least he was no longer the worst in the class, or at least now he was joint worst in the class with Neville.
After the lesson finished Neville looked a bit lost about what to do so James and Noah took him to lunch with them.
"How are you finding it Neville?" Noah asked as they started tucking into some sandwiches.
"It's strange. I can't seem to find any of my friends," Neville replied as mayonnaise spilled all out of his sandwich and down his robes and he hastily tried to wipe it up but only ended up smearing it more on himself.
"Here," Polly said waving her wand at Neville from across the table. "Purgare."
A small white cloud shot out of her wand and zoomed across to Neville's robes and the stain magically vanished.
"Thanks," Neville responded, looking slightly astonished but very pleased.
"Are we going to have to babysit him until he gets better?" Noah whispered to James as Neville was distracted by devouring a giant slice of treacle tart.
"Someone should," James replied and he thought that someone should be him, still feeling guilty about what he had said to Neville before his accident.
As the weeks went on Neville's condition didn't seem to change much but Madam Pomfrey was still confident his full memory would return eventually.
As it would have been odd for Neville, a grown man, to sleep in a bedroom with a bunch of eleven year old boys the teachers had bewitched a cupboard by the dormitories with an Extension Charm so he now had his own bedroom.
Polly was still avoiding James where she could but now most of the other students were no longer giving him a wide berth, having moved on from the statue incident and no longer thinking James was to blame. And the first Quidditch match of the season had been played where Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin by just ten points in what was a very exciting and close game.
As the students headed back from the Quidditch pitch after the match the Gryffindor students were in high spirits. James could see Greta walking ahead and looking rather glum. He thought about taking this opportunity to gloat but decided against it as he didn't want to give her reason to retaliate.
"I heard they're going to have a party in the common room to celebrate the win," an excited Noah said to James as they walked. "They going to scrounge some food from the kitchens and there might even be some butterbeers. Are you coming?"
"Do you fancy it Neville?" James asked to Neville who was walking beside him and was towering a good foot above the rest of the students.
"I've got a Herbology assignment to do. Polly said she'd help me with it now in the Great Hall. I love Herbology. It's my favourite subject. I want to be a Herbology teacher when I grow up," Neville said excitedly.
"And I'm sure you will," James replied. "Hey I could do with some help with my Herbology assignment too. Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Of course. More the merrier Harry" Neville said.
"I'm not Harry, remember?" James said to Neville for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Oh yeah sorry James."
"What are you doing James?" Noah asked as he pulled him back so Neville couldn't hear their conversation.
"Just doing my homework. No law against that is there?"
"I don't think Polly will want you there will she?" Noah said.
"Well Neville wants me there and she can't stay mad at me forever," James said smugly.
"Pretty sure she can," retorted Noah.
"I just want her to know it wasn't me. It's getting a bit much that she still backs away from me every time I pass her."
Noah didn't think it was a good idea but he didn't say any more. He had a party to enjoy.
After James had collected his books from his room he headed down to the Great Hall with Neville as quickly as he could so he could be set up and studying when Polly arrived. And it wasn't long before she did.
"What is he doing here?" Polly fumed.
"He needs to finish his assignment too," Neville said, having not detected the fury in Polly's voice.
"Well shall we go somewhere else Neville? Just me and you?" Polly asked.
"Can't we all work together?" Neville asked innocently.
"Yeah Polly, can't we all work together? It's what Neville wants," James said with a self-satisfied look on his face.
Polly slammed her bag on the table and reluctantly took a seat on the opposite side of the table to James and Neville but she avoided making any eye contact with James. And as they worked Polly practically pretended James wasn't even there. She ignored any of his questions no matter how many times he asked but Neville seemed oblivious to the obvious friction.
"I just need to use the bathroom," Neville said and got up and left leaving James and Polly alone.
Polly seemed slightly worried and looked up towards the teacher's table and was pleased to see Professor Pebblemore was sat doing some marking so she felt slightly safer about being left at the table alone with James with a teacher present.
"What did you put for question five?" James asked innocently trying to strike up a conversation.
"I think I'll go to the bathroom too," Polly immediately said nervously and stood up.
"Wait Polly. This is getting ridiculous. Do you really think I set that statue on you?"
Polly didn't answer and kept walking towards the door.
"Come on Polly think about it. You're smart. I can barely make a feather float. Do you really think I could bewitch a statue to attack someone?" James called out.
Polly stopped and slowly turned around. "Then why were you in the girls' bathroom?"
"Because I heard someone screaming. I was trying to stop it," James pleaded. "Did you see me before the statue started attacking you? No. Did you see me whilst the statue was attacking you? No. Did you see me after I'd stopped the statue? Yes."
"Well I was hiding in the cubicle so you may have been there all along. I wouldn't have known," Polly said.
"Look yes I was annoyed that you grassed me up about the Ghastly Ghouls but if I had wanted to get you back I would have put itching powder in your bed or given you a Puking Pastille. Not try and have you decapitated."
"Then if you didn't set that statue on me, who did?" Polly asked and she stepped back towards the table and James.
"I don't know. It was probably just a Halloween prank gone wrong. I'm sure they didn't mean to put anyone in danger," James said deciding it was probably best not to mention the fact that he had dreamt about statues coming to life the very night before the attack just in case he did subconsciously have something to do with it.
Polly thought for a second. "I guess you're right. You are pretty useless at magic."
"Thanks," James said sarcastically.
"Like you'd ever be able to do magic that advanced. What was I thinking? So you really were just stopping the statue?"
"Yes. I remembered the spell Professor Payne had used to stop the ghouls. If you think about it I was actually saving your life so really you owe me a 'thank you'," James said with a grin.
"Well I'm sorry for thinking you were a competent enough wizard to do that sort of magic," Polly said with no hint of irony.
"That's the closest I'm going to get to a 'thank you' from you isn't it?" James asked. "Truce?" he said as he extended his hand towards her.
"Truce," Polly replied.
"What's going on here?" Neville asked as he returned and saw the pair of them shaking hands.
"Nothing Neville," Polly answered back. "I've just gone back to realising how useless James is."
"And I'm still very much thinking Polly is a condescending witch," James joked and they both laughed but Neville looked a little confused as James thought to himself that he was glad that things were (almost) getting back to normal.
James left Polly and Neville to their studies and when he got back to the Gryffindor common room the celebrations from the Quidditch win were still very much in full swing. He helped himself to some food and joined Noah and the rest of his friends on the sofas.
"Did you manage to not set her alight this time?" Noah jested as James sat down.
"Very funny," James replied. "But she has now come to her senses and realised that I didn't set the statue on her."
"Thank Merlin for that," Noah said. "That is a relief."
"I didn't realise you cared so much about my personal life," James said as Leo passed him a bottle of butterbeer which he took a long gulp of and couldn't help but then burp.
"I don't," Noah replied. "It's just while I was still friends with you she was refusing to help me with any of my work. I've got a Potions essay I've been struggling with all week that I need her help with urgently."
The party in the Gryffindor common room continued well into the evening. Most students didn't bother to go down to the Great Hall for dinner and more food was brought up to them.
Eventually all the noise and commotion (and probably the sugar highs) were too much for James and he was getting a headache. He decided to return some books to the library alone to get a brief moment of peace. After a quick telling off from the librarian Madam Pince for two of his books being overdue, he made his way back to his common room.
As he was walking he spotted a small boy up ahead who seemed to be staring intently at a brick wall. James couldn't see the boy's face as he had his back to him but he had black hair that looked rather untidy. As James got nearer the boy didn't turn around but James wasn't sure if he had heard him nearing because the boy ran off down the corridor.
James reached the spot where the boy had been and wondered why he had run. He then turned to see what the boy had been staring at so attentively on the wall and a shiver went up James' spine. On the wall in massive, ominous red letters that were dripping were the words 'MUDBLOODS BEWARE'.